Ester

Ester, 7 miles southwest of Fairbanks on the Parks Highway, is a colorful community of artists, writers, Bohemians and people working in Fairbanks (population about 200). It also features Ester Gold Camp, a summer visitor attraction with a saloon, a song and dance show and a gift shop or two. A shuttle bus provides round trip evening transportation from the major hotels in Fairbanks. In winter everything is closed. Ester Gold Camp is officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1906 Ester was a panning and placer gold mining community with a population of some 5.000 miners, situated on the Ester Creek Shelf near Cripple Creek - then a rich gold creek. After the placer mining came the dredging. The Gold Camp was build in 1936 by the Fairbanks Exploration Company. It was closed in 1956 and reopened in 1958 as a summer hotel, RV park and buffet restaurant (reindeer stew, Alaska crab and baked halibut). The owners also run the 'Malemute Saloon' and the 'Aurorarama' with a Northern Lights slide and music show.

I remember the Red Garter Saloon, my dad opened and ran it in the late 1970's- it burned down in the 80's and they rebuilt as the Golden Eagle next door. The intersection of a road is where the building used to sit.

Gene

22-Oct-2013 22:40

Does anyone remember the Red Garter Saloon back in the day? This is Gene, from Coyote. Did we have us a time or what? Dr. Ogstad's Travelling Medicine Show, et al...

Robert Englund

04-Sep-2011 19:53

Had some good times at the Malamute so didn't my kids looking for change in the sawdust. Also enjoyed watching the Eielson Gun Fighters shoot out that they would put on when the tour busses showed up. Bad times, when I drove one of the fire trucks from the Lameta College VFD when the saloon burned down 1969 if I remember.

John Lyle

10-Nov-2010 07:59

Jack Kaiser, it's John. How do I get in touch with you??

Jack Kaiser

25-Sep-2008 17:34

I went to university with John Lyle and heard his piece on public radio about Cousteau, does anyone in Ester know his e-mail address?